(MENAFN- Live Mint) .Flight cuts in the US will begin at 4% on Friday, with the percentage being ramped up to 10% by 14 November, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order said citing safety concerns about air traffic control amid the ongoing US government shutdown.

Since the cuts were announced on Wednesday, airlines spent Thursday scrambling to update their schedules: since then, nearly 700 planned flights have been removed from airline schedules as per aviation disruption tracker FlightAware.

The flight cuts are slated to hit 40 airports across the US, including some of the busiest ones such as those near metropolitan areas of New York, Houston, Chicago and Washington, and aviation hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, and North Carolina.

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Here are the 40 airports affected by shutdown, as per a list given to airlines, obtained by Associated Press:

1. Anchorage International in Alaska

2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International in Georgia

3. Boston Logan International in Massachusetts

4. Baltimore/Washington International in Maryland

5. Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina

6. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International in Kentucky

7. Dallas Love Field in Texas

8. Ronald Reagan Washington National in Virginia

9. Denver International in Colorado

10. Dallas/Fort Worth International in Texas

11. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County in Michigan

12. Newark Liberty International in New Jersey

13. Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International in Florida

14. Honolulu International in Hawaii

15. Houston Hobby in Texas

16. Washington Dulles International in Virginia

17. George Bush Houston Intercontinental in Texas

18. Indianapolis International in Indiana

19. John F. Kennedy International in New York

20. Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas

21. Los Angeles International in California

22. LaGuardia Airport in New York

23. Orlando International in Florida

24. Chicago Midway International in Illinois

25. Memphis International in Tennessee

26. Miami International in Florida

27. Minneapolis/St Paul International in Minnesota

28. Oakland International in California

29. Ontario International in California

30. Chicago O`Hare International in Illinois

31. Portland International in Oregon

32. Philadelphia International in Pennsylvania

33. Phoenix Sky Harbor International in Arizona

34. San Diego International in California

35. Louisville International in Kentucky

36. Seattle/Tacoma International in Washington

37. San Francisco International in California

38. Salt Lake City International in Utah

39. Teterboro in New Jersey

40. Tampa International in Florida

Are international flights affected?

The flight cuts are slated to hit only domestic air travel services, and will not affect international flights, reported Reuters.

That, however, could be subject to change in the days ahead, reported Bloomberg.

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In case your flight is delayed or cancelled due to the cuts, passengers are advised to rebook using their airline's mobile app or website as soon as possible.

Passengers can also reach out to customer care if they need to speak to someone on the phone.

That said, re-bookings happen on a first-come-first-serve basis, and flyers should be aware that there could be a crunch in the number of available seats due to the FAA's cuts.

“The best thing travelers can do is to be as proactive as possible switching to a new flight. When a flight gets canceled, all of a sudden hundreds of passengers need new itineraries. There may only be a handful of seats left on the best flights, and it's a first-come, first-(served) endeavor,” Scott Keyes, founder of travel website and flight aggregator Going, told USA TODAY.

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Typically, customers are entitled to a full refund if their flight is cancelled for any reason, including due to a shortage of air traffic controllers, if they choose not to fly on the alternative itinerary provided by their airline.

That said, with regard to the present scenario, most airlines haven't said passengers will get reimbursed if their flight is cancelled and the company is unable to accommodate them on another flight, Bloomberg reported.

Therefore, flyers are urged to pay extra attention when reading the fine print for flight bookings in the coming days.

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Given that there could be unexpected changes to airline schedules, flyers are urged to keep a sharp eye on email and website alerts from airlines for notifications on changes to schedules.

Passengers are also advised to arrive early at the airport as security checkpoints are getting more strained due to the ongoing shutdown.

It is also recommended that flyers use early check-in facilities whenever possible.

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Since Thursday, various airlines across the US have issued statements and/or advisories for passengers. Listed below are some of the major ones.

• American Airlines: On Thursday, American Airlines said that its long-haul international routes would continue to operate normally. However, on the domestic front, the carrier has cancelled 220 flights per day from Friday to Monday as per TPG, and has vowed to "proactively reach out" to customers facing cancellations.
• Delta Air Lines: Delta on Thursday issued a travel advisory for Americans, listing all affected airports:“In response to the capacity restrictions caused by the FAA Directive, travel to, from, or through the destinations listed below may be affected,” read the advisory, and urged flyers to“check flight status frequently for up-to-the-minute information about your flight plans.” You can check the full Delta Air Lines travel advisory here.
• United Airlines: United Airlines too issued a travel alert for flyers, listing affected airports. It also issued a waiver for tickets purchased on or before 4 November, covering flights between 6 and 13 November, saying,“You can reschedule your trip and we'll waive change fees and fare differences. But, your new flight must be a United flight departing between 6 days before and 6 days after your original travel date. Tickets must be in the same cabin and between the same cities as originally booked.” If, however, a flyer has a ticket booked after 5 November, they can still reschedule their flights without any extra re-scheduling fee. However, fare differences, if applicable, will have to be paid. United also promised a full refund for flyers cancelling or opting out of trips.
• Southwest Airlines: Like United, Southwest Airlines has also issued a waiver:“If you have a reservation for travel between November 7, 2025 and November 12, 2025, you may rebook or travel standby (within 14 days of your original date of travel between the original city pairs and in accordance with our accommodation procedures) without paying a change in airfare," the airlines said in an advisory. It also said that it would re-book customers automatically for alternate flights if their original flight is cancelled, but added that flyers can re-book themselves or opt for refund if they so wish.
• Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines: The Alaska Air Group, the parent of Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, has also issued a flexible travel waiver that allows flyers with trips booked between 7 and 10 November to r-book any time between now and 17 November without paying extra for changes in fares. The company further said that it would not be cancelling international flights or critical routes used by communities, presumably referring to flights servicing remote areas in Alaska and Hawaii.
• JetBlue: Budget carrier JetBlue, like others, has issued a travel advisory listing 20 affected cities where it operates. Travelers with flights between 6 and 10 November can re-book without a re-scheduling charge or paying a fare difference up until 19 November.“Customers with cancelled flights may also opt for a refund to the original form of payment. Original travel must have been booked on or before Wednesday, November 5, 2025,” the advisory added, with regard to refunds.
• Frontier Airlines: Frontier on Thursday announced the launch of a flexible travel policy with regard to the FAA order, saying,“During these reductions, we expect most Frontier flights will operate as planned. Where changes to flight schedules are necessary, we will proactively communicate with impacted customers via email, text, and the Frontier mobile app.” Customers whose flights are cancelled or delayed for more than 3 hours (domestic flights) or 6 hours (international flights) will be able to re-book or opt for a refund, the airline added.
• Spirit Airlines: Spirit noted that it expected most of its flights to be unaffected by the FAA order:“While we are closely monitoring the situation, we expect to operate the vast majority of our flights. We will work to minimize any impacts to our Guests,” wrote the carrier in an advisory.“If your flight is canceled and you decide not to travel, you will have the option to receive a full refund, or we can rebook you on the next available Spirit flight,” Spirit further added.

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